Almost all modern technology relies on or is directly supported by electrical and mechanical power systems. Electrical power systems generate, store, and distribute the electricity that powers the huge variety of electronics used every day. Mechanical power systems leverage their mechanical advantage for everything from transportation to lawn care, and they form the foundation for almost all types of construction.
Conventional sensors used to monitor operation of such power systems are often difficult and expensive to install due to a need for their active sensor surface to be in intimate physical contact solely with the object being monitored. Such conventional sensors are also often relatively fragile and prone to wear and tear due in part to their forced proximity to the object being monitored. Furthermore, conventional thermal imaging sensors typically provide sensor data that is from a single point (e.g. spot sensors) and/or that is imprecise or time-delayed so as to preclude cost-effective, accurate and/or real-time monitoring of a modern power system.